2014 Super Bowl Wines

Typically, Super Bowl is a day and evening of eating junk foods and drinking beer - which is very appropriate for junk food.
No offense to beer. I love beer. In fact, I'm having one right now as I compose this blog.
But this is about Super Bowl "Wines", because my wife sent me an article about Super Bowl wines, and I told her I would do a blog about the article.
If you're a man who is married and writes blogs, and you were in my shoes, you'd do the same thing..
I'll copy the link to the article below if you want to read the whole thing.
I'm just going to go over the foods with the suggested wine pairings and let you know my thoughts on them.

1. Wings - They recommend: fruity off-dry white blends. My comment: I don't know what that is. It could really be almost anything. I'm going with Zinfandel, Grenache or sparkling, which, in fairness, they also recommend.
2. Hearty Chili - They recommend Monastrel. Well, good luck trying to find Monastrell. This is usually a blending grape, but if you look hard enough you can find Monastrel wine. Once again, I'm going with fruit to compliment the spice - Grenache, Syrah or Zin should do just fine here again.
3. Vegetarian Chili. Come on! Who does vegetarian chili? You're going to have to read the article to find out about this one.
4. Pizza. Now you're talking. They recommend Barbera or Chianti Classico, and, I agree.
5. Nachos: They recommend Sauvignon Blanc or sparkling. The nachos they show in the pic are made with what appears to be chicken, so, the Sauvignon Blanc might work. Not so sure if they're beef nachos. As far as sparkling goes - of course!
6. Guacamole: They recommend New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. This one really stumped me. The only drinks I've ever had with guacamole have been beer and Margaritas. I wouldn't be afraid to try the Sauvignon Blanc, though.

There's a few more, but you get the idea. You may not even eat any of these dishes on Super Bowl Sunday, in which case, you've already stopped reading.
For me Super Bowl is about about snacking and drinking whatever you want with good friends and watching the best commercials of the year.
If we're lucky, there's also a good football game being played.
Here's the link to the full article:

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2014/01/best-wine-for-wings-pizza-guacamole-super-bowl-snacks.html?ref=pop_drinks#.Uuayw_3gTRU.email

Have a great weekend!

Tom

Why Can't We Get Some Wines?

Every week, customers either call or come into Balaban's looking for a particular wine that they've had on vacation or a business trip. 

You can see the excitement in their eyes as they show me the picture of the wine on their iPhone … and then … the disappointment, as I tell them I am unable to get the wine for them.

So, here are some of the main reasons that we are unable to get certain wines at Balaban's:

1. A Missouri distributor chooses not to carry the wine.  Missouri law states that a Missouri retailer must buy all of its wine from a Missouri distributor. So, if a Missouri distributor chooses not to buy a wine, then we can't buy it from anyone else to sell to our customers.
2. A Missouri distributor may not be able to buy certain wines. Many wineries with small productions choose the markets in which their wines are marketed. Sad but true: it's much sexier  to have your wines in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas or Chicago than little old St. Louis. 
3. Some wineries select certain wines in their portfolio to be distributed to restaurants only. Retailers typically aren't as prestigious as some of the world's best restaurants - so some of your "big name" wines are only targeted to restaurants. Of course, Balaban's is a restaurant as well as a retail shop, so this doesn't affect us as much. However, wineries might decide to let The French Laundry pour their wines and not Balaban's. Also, sad but true.
4. Many wines that customers fall in love with over seas are not imported into the US.
5. Some wineries only sell within a limited geographic area.
6. Some wineries only sell through their own websites.
7. Some wineries only sell to their own mailing list.

We will always do our very best to fill a customer's special request - if we can legally obtain the wine ourselves. As you can see, that can sometimes be a challenge.

Tom

What To Drink With Breakfast/Dinner?

Ever have breakfast for dinner?
We do sometimes, and it always tastes so good.
So how about this:
Two eggs over medium (runny yoke with whites cooked hard), thick cut bacon and sliced tomatoes with some whole grain bread to mop up the yoke.
But wadda ya drink with this?
NO. No champagne, mimosa or bloody Mary. Everybody does that.
Remember? New year - new wine ideas.
So, I've done no research on this. No googling "wine pairings with breakfast"
I'm just pulling this out of my …… ear.
White wine - Chablis.
Red wine - A light Spanish Grenache.
What do you all think?
Have a great weekend!

Tom

The Amazing Wines of Italy

1. France
2. Italy
3. USA

These are the three greatest wine producing countries in the world, and, I believe that is the correct order of "greatness".
I'm going to focus on Italy today, because that is one of my New Year's wine resolutions - to drink more Italian wine.
Italy is home to some of the oldest wine growing regions in the world, and the broad diversity of the wines is unparalleled. Just look at a small sample of grape varieties used. White: Arneis, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Moscato, Malvasia, Trebbiano and Verdicchio. Red: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Primitivo and Dolcetto.
There are 20 official wine regions in Italy.
Here are some of the most famous:
Tuscany: home to Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the "Super Tuscans" such as Ornellaia, Solaia and Masseto.
Piedmont: Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Arneis and Dolcetto.
Veneto: Valpolicella, Amarone and Dolcetto, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
Alto Adige is known for its white wines such as Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Sylvaner.
Probably my favorite thing about Italian wines is how well they pair with food. Both whites and reds manage to have the perfect balance of fruit and acidity that make them ideal wines to have with a meal.
So, tonight I'm having pork chops with mashed potatoes and asparagus.
I'm thinking a Barbaresco should do the trick.

Tom

An Understandable Mistake.

I do many different things at Balaban's.
That's what makes my job so much fun.
I buy wine, sell wine, write the newsletter and this blog. And I help customers who come into the shop looking for great wine.
I also try to help out during lunch.
I greet and seat people when the server is busy, and make coffee and …. well, that's about it.
Yesterday, we had a pretty busy lunch. We also had a table of 10. This really puts the pressure on the server and the kitchen.
Anyway, I usually stand at the end of the bar during lunch so I can see everything that's going on, along with seeing any new arrivals.
One of the men from the party of 10 comes up to the bar and asks:
"You work here"?
Me: Yes sir. How can I help?
He: Can you get me a screwdriver?
Me: Of course. I'll be right back.
So, I go into the storeroom where we keep our tools, thinking that I never asked him if he wants a phillips or flathead. I figure the flathead would be more likely.
So I triumphantly return with the screwdriver, one of the best we have, put it in front of him, and say "there you go"!
Well I gotta tell ya, he looks at me like I have a banana growing out of my nose or something.
But our server, Shannon, comes over to stop the staring contest to take him to the table to take his lunch order.
As they're walking away, I think I overhear him saying "I just want to get a drink".
A little time passes and I start to think: Hmmmm. He's in a restaurant. I'm behind the bar. He asks for a screwdriver. And then it hits me.
MAYBE HE MEANS THE DRINK!
Of course - that's it! He wants a vodka and orange juice.
You'd probably think I'm feeling pretty dumb and embarrassed about this.
Nahhhh. I'm fine with it.
I just wonder if he got the screwdriver he wanted.

Tom

The Tool

The Drink

An Amazing Wine Experience

So, I'm sitting at home this Saturday with two filets on the grill, looking forward to morphing into a vegetable, and my phone rings and it's Steve, one of the owners at Balaban's.
My first thought is: "no way I'm answering this, it can only be trouble".
But I answer anyway, and the exchange goes something like this:
Steve: You gotta come over here, I brought in an amazing Burgundy from my cellar.
Me: Well Steve, I normally would drop everything I'm doing and rush in, but, I have a couple of steaks on the grill that might not survive if I leave them for a couple of hours.
Steve: Oh. Okay. I get it. No problem. IT'S A 1959 BURGUNDY!
Me: What??
Steve: Yeah. It's incredible.
Me: How's the color?
Steve: Perfect.
Me: Any oxidation?
Steve: None.
Me: 1959? Are you messing with me?
Steve: Not at all.
Me: Well, I guess I'm going to miss out on this one. Just for fun though, would you mind saving me a little? Pump out the air, and put it in the cooler, and I'll try it on Monday.
Steve: okey dokey.
So it's Monday, and I kind of forget about the wine, but, Steve didn't. He calls about 9:30.
Steve: Did you find the wine?
Me: Uhhhh.
Steve: Look in the back of the cooler.
Me: Oh yeah, I see it.
Steve: Better let it warm up before you try it.
Me: uh huh.
Lunch time.
I realize the Burgundy is probably the ideal temperature now.
I pour some into a glass and taste …..
#%#&ing UNBELIEVABLE!!
The wine did not fall apart at all.
Keep in mind, this is a 55 year old Pinot Noir that has been opened since Saturday night, and today is Monday.
Wine. In one sense, it's really just grape juice.
Yet, it can sometimes be really magical.

Tom

Wine and Chili?

So my wife, Judy says to me the other day: "you haven't mentioned me in a blog in a long time".
I grunted and thought: "Geez, nobody realizes the the intense pressure I'm under writing these blogs".
Have I mentioned before that Judy is a great cook?
And I love her?
I should have, if I didn't.
Unless you're living in California, you've probably experienced, to some degree, the rough winter we've had thus far.
We were trapped in the house for a couple of days because of the snow and cold.
But we were prepared.
Like millions of other screaming, panicked St. Louisans, we went to the grocery store to stock up on the basics, just in case we could not get out of the house until Spring - milk, bread, eggs and about 100 pounds of ground beef.
Judy made a meat loaf and her famous chili.
So, it's Monday night. What do we eat?
Meat loaf or chili? Meat loaf or chili?
CHILI!
And what should we drink with this chili?
This is not really an easy pairing with wine. Judy stayed away all together and opted for a margarita.
Me? I accepted the challenge and went for the wine.
No white. Red.
No Cab - too tannic.
No Italian - too acidic.
The wine must be fruit forward, with a little spice to compliment the flavors in the chili.
The short list: Syrah, Grenache and Zinfandel.
I have some really great domestic Syrahs and Grenache based Chateauneuf du Papes, but these are expensive wines, averaging $50 - $60.
This is chili for Pete's sake!
I haven't said "for Pete's sake" in about 25 years. I wonder where that saying comes from??
A $23 Zinfandel should do the trick.
I had the 2011 Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel with the chili, and it was a perfect match.
Another tough food and wine pairing conquered.
And we have a freezer full of meat loaf and chili.
Have a great weekend!

Tom

Five Wine Resolutions For 2014

Happy New Year!
I'm usually not much for New Year's resolutions, but, looking back on my wine drinking patterns for 2013, I'm going to make an exception this year.

So let's get to it:

1. Drink less domestic and French wines and try more from other countries - especially Italy.
It seems like I always reach for domestic or French when it's time to select a wine. It's a rut I kind of got in this past year. The eye opener for me was when one night when we were having steak, I selected an Argentine Malbec - it was fantastic. So why do I typically go for Bordeaux or Cabernet?
Rut.
Now Italy makes some amazing white and red wines. And the styles are so varied, I could spend all year drinking only Italian wine and not get bored.
Really.
I'll be writing more about Italian wine regions and varietals in future blogs.

2. More domestic sparkling wine and less Champagne.
I love Champagne! But, I don't always like Champagne prices. Yet I continue to pay them. That's about to change this year - more often than not. Domestic sparkling wine producers are making excellent wine, at $20 - $40 less than Champagne. Some favorite producers: Schramsberg, Argyle and Iron Horse.

3. Choose more diverse whites (in other words, less Chardonnay).
I love white wine as much as red, and drink it year round. And when I select a white for quaffing or with a meal, it is typically a domestic or French Chardonnay.
Another eye opener: we were having raw oysters and red snapper. Gotta have white with this meal. So instead of Chardonnay, I selected a Sancerre - a Sauvignon Blanc from Loire, France. It was perfect.
Now I know I'm back in France, and I also have "resolution #1 to deal with, but, so what.
This year: more Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Viognier and more.

4. Buy some white wines to "lay down".
I have a pretty fair collection of red wines, some from the 90's and early 2000's as well as current vintages. Whites? I buy em and I drink em. Many whites benefit from aging, including Chablis, White Burgundies and French and German Rieslings.
So this year: more discipline in holding white wines.

5. On special occasions, visit the Balaban's Library of older wines.
I've been at Balaban's about 6 months now. I've always known about the great food, and I knew of  the Library of aged wines collected from the early days of Balaban's.
But, Holy Cow!
The wines in our Library are absolutely amazing - great wine from all over the world from the 70's, 80's and 90's to the present day.
I could spend all day in the Library just being with these wines.
Now, you're probably starting to think I need to go to therapy or something.
Maybe.
But I do know this. For anniversaries, birthdays and other special occasions, I'm going to be buying a special bottle of wine from the Balaban's Library.
Chances are very good that you will be reading about the progress of these resolutions throughout the year.
Here's to great wine drinking in 2014!

Tom